American Airlines orders cancellations due to Boeing 737 Max grounding

Lola Evans12 Jun 2019, 00:10 GMT+10

American Airlines on Sunday announced it was extending cancellations that had been put in place

Cancellations through to 19 August 2019 will now be extended to 3 September 2019

American says it is cancelling 115 flights a day due to the non-availability of its Boeing 737 Max fleet

FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines on Sunday announced it was extending cancellations that had been put in place because of the withdrawal of Boeing 737 Max aircraft from service.

Cancellations were scheduled through to 19 August 2019.

Now American says it will extend those cancellations through to 3 September 2019.

115 flights a day will be cancelled through to the 3 September date, the airline said in a statement released on Sunday.

American says it remains confident that impending software updates to the Boeing 737 Max, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing in coordination with union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon.

"We have been in continuous contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation, National Transportation Safety Board and other regulatory authorities, and we are pleased with the progress to date," the statement said.

The airline said it was working with customers on cancelled flights to re-schedule. The airline has provided a list of Frequently asked questions to assist customers:

Question: My flight was previously scheduled on a Max. Will it be canceled?Answer: Not all flights that were previously scheduled on a Max will be canceled, as we plan to substitute other aircraft types. In total, approximately 115 flights will be canceled per day.

Question: My flight wasn't scheduled to be on a Max. Why has it been canceled? Answer: A flight that was not scheduled as a Max flight might be canceled to enable our team to cover a MAX route with a different aircraft. Our goal is to minimize the impact to the smallest number of customers.

Question: How will customers know if they are impacted?Answer: American's Reservations team will contact affected customers directly by email or telephone. Customers who booked through a travel agent will be contacted by their agency directly.

Question: My flight was canceled and I don't want to rebook. Can I get a refund?Answer: Yes. If a flight is canceled and a customer chooses to not be rebooked, they may request a full refund by visiting aa.com/refunds.